Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Danielle Smith Tuesday for her second term as premier of Alberta following a closely fought election win.
Smith will continue as premier after the United Conservative Party clinched victory Monday night in the provincial election.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party of Alberta on their re-election,” Trudeau said in a statement.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Premier Smith and the provincial government to deliver results for Albertans – including growing the economy, creating good jobs for the middle class, improving health care, continuing to position Alberta as a leader in clean energy, and making life more affordable.
“We will also continue to build on the progress we have made to deliver affordable child care to families in Alberta and move forward on the path of reconciliation.”
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Alberta has historically had a testy relationship with the federal government and even other provinces as it defends its profitable energy industry and other interests.
But the past four years under the United Conservative Party and during the COVID-19 pandemic have seen Edmonton’s relations with Ottawa grow particularly tempestuous.
Smith took aim at Trudeau when she took the podium Monday night to celebrate her election win.
“Hopefully the prime minister and his caucus are watching tonight,” she said in her victory speech in Calgary.
“My fellow Albertans, we need to come together no matter how we have voted to stand shoulder to shoulder against soon-to-be announced Ottawa policies that would significantly harm our provincial economy,” Smith told her supporters.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who like Smith has tapped into voter resentment of Trudeau’s Liberal Party to expand his base, also congratulated Alberta’s premier while taking a shot at the prime minister.
“Last night Albertans rejected the woke NDP-Liberal coalition and instead voted to fight the carbon tax, stand up for our energy sector and unleash the full potential of Alberta’s economy,” Poilievre said in a tweet Tuesday.
Smith has been leader of the UCP since succeeding Jason Kenney in October 2022.
The United Conservatives ran on a campaign of public safety and affordability measures like a new tax bracket and extending the existing fuel tax savings.
— with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton and Adam Toy.
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